Analyst fears iPhone 5 power pack to prompt launch postponement

Apple's handset battery supplier is struggling to produce the high volume of units required for an iPhone 5 launch, moles claim. The issue could see the smartphone's debut delayed.

The whispers, which come by way of Chinese web portal Sina.com, were relayed by stockbroker Topeka Capital Markets' Brian White, who has already talked up Apple's supposed intention to launch its sixth-generation handset this August.

While the unnamed battery vendor is allegedly working hard to solve the production problem - in which, it's claimed, 70 per cent of batteries fail to meet Apple's specifications - White reckons the end-of-summer launch looks more unlikely now, pushing estimations back a month.

"If there is a battery challenge, we trust that Apple will be able to figure it out in time for a September launch," he said.

The 4S' power pack
Source: iFixit.com

August or even September? Surely not. Plenty of other analysts have forecast an October iPhone 5 introduction - not a towered feat of deduction, since it means the new handset will be launched 12 months on from the last one.